Students create 'School Lunch Fairy' charity to help families

The Polar Express is coming to Brightline trains departing from the Fort Lauderdale station beginning Nov. 11

The Polar Express is coming to Brightline trains departing from the Fort Lauderdale station beginning Nov. 11

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The Polar Express is coming to Brightline trains departing from the Fort Lauderdale station beginning Nov. 11

The Polar Express is coming to Brightline trains departing from the Fort Lauderdale station beginning Nov. 11

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Productions are specially designed for individuals with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders.

Productions are specially designed for individuals with sensory processing and autism spectrum disorders.

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The exhibit explores the extraordinary organisms that produce light, from the flickering fireflies found in backyards to the alien-like deep-sea fishes and other creatures that illuminate the depths of the oceans.

The exhibit explores the extraordinary organisms that produce light, from the flickering fireflies found in backyards to the alien-like deep-sea fishes and other creatures that illuminate the depths of the oceans.

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The Fort Lauderdale puppet parade marches through Himmarshee Village and ends at Revolution Live, with live music and dance shows. Puppet master Jim Hammond created the Florida Day of the Dead festival back in 2010.

The Fort Lauderdale puppet parade marches through Himmarshee Village and ends at Revolution Live, with live music and dance shows. Puppet master Jim Hammond created the Florida Day of the Dead festival back in 2010.

After hearing on the radio about the problem of "lunch shaming" in schools, Christian Cordon-Cano called up his friend Bernardo Hasbach and said, "We have to do something."

Lunch shaming, in which students are humiliated because their parents are behind on school lunch payments, has received national attention recently.

"I jumped on it immediately, and with the help of our friends and family we got the ball rolling," said Hasbach, a piano major at the Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach.

Cordon-Cano, who attends The King's Academy near Royal Palm Beach, and Hasbach, both 17, created an organization called School Lunch Fairy, which raises funds to help public schools either cover unpaid school lunch balances or set up emergency lunch funds for students who can´t pay for their lunches.

Recently, they donated $1,500 to the School District of Palm Beach County and another $1,500 to the Martin County School District.

/Courtesy

Christian Cordon-Cano, co-founder of School Lunch Fairy

Christian Cordon-Cano, co-founder of School Lunch Fairy (/Courtesy)

According to Cordon-Cano, there are hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid lunch accounts across the state (about $25,000 alone in Palm Beach County).

"That is equivalent to thousands of kids that are at risk of not getting a proper school lunch the next time they are standing in line at the cafeteria," he said. "How can we not do something about that?"

The two students are not only raising funds, but inspiring others to do the same.

"Our intention is to inspire people across the country to take action and stand behind the kids that have difficulties paying for school lunch every day," Cordon-Cano said.

Their website encourages others to start their own local chapters of the School Lunch Fairy. They will help others by providing the tools they need to raise funds and will assist with the administrative tasks such as payment processors and contacting and disbursing funds to local school districts.

Since founding the organization about three months ago, they have managed to raise $8,730 through social media and by word of mouth.

"The response has been greater than we thought," Hasbach said.

Friends since preschool, they had some adult help in setting up the 501(c)3 status as well as opening the bank account, but they said they are managing well on their own.

Lori Dornbusch, manager of site based operations for the School District of Palm Beach County, received the donation for the county's schools.

"It's a very thoughtful gesture for these two high school students to take," she said. "You don't expect individuals of that age to care and to reach out to other school children who can't afford to pay for their lunch.

"You normally don't find that humanity in that age group. We're thrilled that they saw the need and decided to something to help."

Lunches at the elementary schools are $2.05 and $2.35 in the secondary schools.

Despite the reduced cost, Dornbusch said many families in Palm Beach County cannot afford to pay.

"We have many families in severe need," she said. "Sometimes they may not qualify for free and reduced lunches, but still have a financial hardship. When they can't pay for their kids' lunches, their accounts go into deficit and the kids qualify for a turkey and cheese sandwich with milk, juice and fruit."

Hasbach, who plans to enroll in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study engineering next year, said he wants to stay involved with the charity while at college.

"We're happy that people have contributed, and hopefully we can take this far," he said.

And Cordon-Cano, who hopes to go to the University of California, Los Angeles to study investment banking or entrepreneurship, said, "While the challenge of going nationwide is overwhelming, our intention is to inspire people across the country to take action.

"It's just wrong to have this happen in our country where kids are publicly humiliated because they can't afford to buy lunch," he said. "Everyone deserves to have a good lunch."